Eronda
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- Dec 16, 2025
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Government is considering recruiting skilled Ugandans recently repatriated from South Africa into the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) as part of broader efforts to reintegrate them into the country's workforce.
The Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Lt Gen. Henry Tumukunde, said he would engage the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on the possibility of absorbing qualified returnees who have expressed interest in serving in the military.
Many of the returnees told the minister they would like to join the UPDF, citing skills in professional driving, forensic work, and other technical fields.
Gen. Tumukunde said the government had initially been concerned about the challenges of reintegrating the returnees, but had instead found a group of disciplined and highly skilled citizens capable of contributing to national development.
"We have many of them who are drivers, and I think the army wouldn't mind having professional drivers. We shall discuss with General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has been very helpful in bringing these people back, to see whether we can absorb some of them directly because they are very skilled," Gen. Tumukunde said.
The returnees are expected to complete the program on Friday, July 17, 2026, during a pass-out ceremony to be presided over by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who spearheaded the repatriation initiative following recent xenophobic violence in South Africa.
The program is intended to equip the returnees with ideological orientation, facilitate their reintegration into Ugandan society, and connect them to government programs aimed at employment, skills development, and enterprise support
Source: Nile Post
